Beginners Guide to choosing a new Drill Press

If you’ve just recently started getting into building or carving in your spare time, the drill press will certainly be one of the first tools you’ll consider buying for your pursuits. It’s great because it’s extremely versatile, and can be used for many different things.

However, since you might be just at the starting-out level, you might not want to invest in an expensive machine just yet. That can wait until you’re sure that it’s something you want to spend your time pursuing. Also, the size of the workplace (how much room you have) will be something you’ll need to take into consideration. If you have a massive workshop, then it won’t really matter as you’ll have plenty of space for your new drill press.

Keep in Mind:

Types of Drill Press
As far as the type of drill press you decide to purchase goes, there are mainly just two different designs to choose from – benchtop and floor standing. Irrespective of the model, the main thing that needs to be noted is that the machine needs to be fitted with an adequately powerful and sturdy motor. Also, the benchtop model would probably suit this consideration just as well as the freestanding one. However, it could be possible you need more powerful than that design can put out. In that case go for the floor drill press, rather than the table-mounted design.

Variable Speeds
The motor that drives the spindle on a high quality drill press will allow you to adjust it to multiple speed settings. The stepped pulleys allow you to make the necessary changes to the speed of the drill bit. This is useful because you use a different speed for drilling wood than you do for steel. The more speeds that you can vary on the machine, the more precise are the adjustments that you can make on the drill press.

Useful features
Another important part of the drill press is the chuck. The chuck quality and rigidity vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The chuck can be difficult to repair. However most major brands produce a drill press with a very good chuck – but best to be sure. Finally, what needs to be ensured is that the chuck works smoothly across all the available adjustments in the drill press. the chuck should not be wobbly or loosely attached to the drill bit.

Conclusion

The last and the final thing that needs to be considered is the budget. Like all pieces of equipment, the drill press comes at varied prices, right from the cheapest one to the most expensive one. What needs to be understood is that the quality of the drill press depends on the price – a cheap drill press would not give you the same quality and the output as a premium quality one. My opinion is that you should buy a cheaper one for a start, then decide on if you want to upgrade.